Parents: I am posting a second blog today only because I want to give you a suggestion for an activity you can fall back on in the evenings or if weather is not favorable for outdoor activity.
Here's a fun activity if it's cold or rainy outside, or you just want some fun, indoor time. If you do this activity in the evening, Wal Mart, and even some of the Dollar stores, have balloons that light up in the dark and can last for up to a week. I have done this in PE and the children have loved it. In groups with a few more people, it is fun to have a bunch of balloons and simply try to keep them all up in the air at the same time. This is a challenge. Hopefully, you have a space in the basement or an area where you can push back the furniture. Have fun.
Balloon Juggling
Requirements
- Open space indoor (outdoor does
not work well in Kansas for balloons)
- Balloons (round type)
Instructions
- Blow up a few round balloons.
- Inflate to medium pressure so
the balloon “floats” but is not so tight it pops easily.
- Toss one balloon into the air
above your head.
- Show your child how to keep up
the balloon using fingertips and palms.
- Challenge your child to take a
turn keeping the balloon in the air.
- If the balloon touches the
ground, switch turns.
Variations
- After a while practicing, try a
competition where you count your touches out loud before the balloon hits
the ground. (This is good one to one counting practice.)
- Try with two balloons at the
same time, one balloon each – see who keeps up their balloon the longest.
- See if you can keep up two or
three balloons at the same time.
- Keep up the balloon with
different body parts (knees only, feet only, elbows only, head only, or back of hand).
- Play some balloon tennis with a
partner – use the hand to hit back and forth. For fun, place a string
between two stationary objects and hit across the “net”.
What
does this activity help with?
This activity develops hand-eye coordination,
gross motor control, and the ability to track moving objects in the air. These
skills transfer to sports and activities that involve striking or catching an object
in the air (example - balls, Frisbees, ribbons, sticks, batons).
